BlizzCon > Diablo > Diablo 4Nov 4, 2023 5:30 pm CT

Players can jump into Vessel of Hatred from release without playing through the Diablo 4 base game

By Liz Patt

It’s BlizzCon 2023 and we have details on our first Diablo 4 expansion — Vessel of Hatred. Slated for a late 2024 release date, Vessel of Hatred will be the first major increase to the ongoing plot arc of Diablo 4. And if you are a new player, or bringing a new character online for the occasion, you’ll be able to dive right into the new plot — no original story required. But how exactly does that work?

Blizzard Watch had the opportunity to sit down with Diablo 4‘s Production Director Tiffany K. Wat and Associate Game Director Joseph Piepiora. While Piepiora focused primarily on the live game’s short term questions — itemization, seasons, and PVP — Wat doled out delightful tidbits around the coming expansion, which returned for confirmation during the Saturday Campfire Chat. And Wat was clear that she didn’t have specific details to share with us when asked how the new expansion would work in terms of leveling, she did share the following quite clearly.

Originally Posted by Tiffany K. Wat

If you choose to start a new character when Vessel of Hatred starts, whether it’s one of the existing characters or the brand new class, you can either replay the main campaign, or you can choose to jump straight into the campaign of Vessel of Hatred. And that’s regardless of whether you are a brand new player to Diablo 4 or if you owned the original game, and you have play the main campaign. Either way, if you have not played the main campaign, we’re going to make sure that we do a summary of everything that happens in the main campaign so that you are totally caught up, you have the context: Who is Neyrelle? Who is Mephisto? Why is he trapped in the soulstone? And what the next challenge is, so that, you know, all players can jump into the game at that point.

And that’s a perfect example of how they are approaching Diablo 4 as a title, as well as the franchise moving forward — players don’t feel excluded because they may not have 25+ years of history with the franchise. You’re not left out if you are one of the many people who picked up Diablo Immortal on mobile as their initial entry to the franchise and decided that this Sanctuary place seems pretty awesome to rescue. Or if you took a break immediately after Diablo 4‘s launch, you’ll be able to pick the title right up with the expansion and receive a recap of everything you may have missed. You’re covered, story-wise, whether you are a seasoned Diablo veteran or a new inclusion to the franchise’s community. Everyone is welcome, even if only as fresh meat for the Butcher.

Saturday’s BlizzCon 2023 events included a Diablo 4 Campfire Chat with even more about the short and long-term plans for the title, but this remains a standout tidbit. Keep up the good work, team; we’ll be here trying to drag as many friends into the Diablo universe as we can prior to Vessel of Hatred’s release in late 2024.

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